I hide my smile by turning away. “What is it, Rad?” I don’t try to soften my words, not when my father and eldest brother aren’t here to reprimand me.
“I don’t think my beloved has been behaving as she should,” he sneers. “I told you I would be lenient, but I’m running out of patience.”
I pull away from him just as we enter the library, turning toward him so he can’t grab the back of my neck again. “My affairs are, as of yet, none of your business. Please don’t approach me again unless you’ve spoken with my father and received his blessing. I am also running out of patience. If you put your hands on me without my express permission one more time, my honor guard will be forced to take action against you.”
He scowls at me and grabs my chin so hard I yelp and turns my head so my neck is exposed. “You’ll show me the respect I deserve, omega whore. Whenever you see me, you’ll show me exactly where you’ll wear my bite.”
“Mr. Radcliffe,” Marcus rumbles, stepping between me and Rad so Rad is forced to release me. “Please step away from my client. Her father won’t take kindly to his property being damaged.”
I freeze behind Marcus, my honor guard’s words turning my stomach to lead. He delivers them with such nonchalance that I almost believe him, but no—Marcus is playing the same game I am and doing an admirable job.
“Her father won’t care once my bite’s on her neck. He barely cares now.”
“Until such time, I am legally and contractually allowed to beat the shit out of you if you touch her again. But it looks like someone’s already done my work for me. Please pass their details along to me. I owe them a thank-you card.”
Rad whirls away with a snarl and stalks out of the library, slamming the door shut behind him.
I whimper and Marcus immediately wraps an arm around my shoulder, leading me slowly to the study rooms. He sits me down and kneels beside me, and gingerly tilts my chin up. He flinches and shakes his head. “You’re already starting to bruise. That fucking bastard.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. “For standing up for me.”
Marcus takes my hands in his and bows his head. “I hate that I had to say what I did. That I had to lower myself to speaking his language.”
I catch the scent of sea salt and look up to find Cassian in the doorway, watching me and Marcus with an ache so sharp on his face that it steals my breath. He hides it when my eyes flick up to his, glaring at me until I squirm in my seat.
“Out, Haley,” he spits out, alpha dominance rippling off him.
Marcus lets out a low growl, his own alpha power roaring to the surface. “Lay a hand on her and you’ll lose it.”
But Cassian doesn’t have to touch me to hurt me—he never has. His words, his actions, have always been enough to draw me to him, and to crush me. “It’s okay, Marcus. I’m sure Cassian will behave as an alpha of his station should, especially to his advisee.”
Marcus sends Cassian a murderous look, his winter-wind and pine scent spiking, until winter and summer clash as their scents fill the small room. My honor guard finally stalks out of the room, closing the door but for a crack behind him.
Cassian snarls and shoves the door shut before rounding on me. “Radcliffe touched you again.”
“I’m handling it,” I say quietly.
“This is you handling it?” he demands. “You’re fucking bruised!” He scrubs at his jaw, pacing, his long strides eating up the length of the study room. “Enough of this. You’re not to go anywhere without at least two trusted alphas with you. Haley isn’t enough any longer.”
“Marcus handled the situation exactly how I wanted him to,” I grind out.
“And look how that turned out! You were shaking like a leaf when I walked in. Fuck, Rad isdestroyingyou, Juniper.”
“I’m stronger than you think,” I protest, though my voice is weak.
“Not strong enough. Not against him. Two alphas, at all times.” He pours his alpha command into his words, and I feel his power, his dominance crackling over my skin, willing me to obey.
“Stop interfering in my life, Cassian. You’re not my alpha.” He may not be, but he’s doing what the alphas closest to me won’t, trying to find new ways to keep me safe. But why?
“You’ll do as I say if I have to command you every single day. Fuck, you’ll do as I say if I have to personally escort you to every single class and study session. You will be safe, saints help me,” he fumes, fire in his smoke-and-whiskey eyes.
I bristle at his arrogance. “Why are you trying so hard to protect me when you despise me? To fulfill some bullshit alpha savior complex you have? You can’t stand the thought that some poor, weak omega doesn’t want your help. Fuck, you don’t give a shit aboutme.”
His eyes flash but his shoulders sag just an inch. “Despise you? I wanted to mate you!”
“Mate me? You broke my heart into a million fucking pieces!” I shout back.
“I brokeyourheart? I asked your father for his blessing to court you, only to find out that you’d been leading me on the whole time. That I was just some stupid alpha you led around by the nose. Fuck, Juniper, I loved you. And you despised me.”
